WASHINGTON, -- Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ - News) today received approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to offer long-distance service in Maine. The company said it would launch its competitive, easy-to-use calling plans in Maine shortly. "This clears the way for consumers and businesses in Maine to select all their telecommunications services from Verizon, a company they know and trust," said Ed Dinan, president of Verizon Maine. Maine is the seventh state in the Northeast for which Verizon has received the federal approval required by the 1996 Telecommunications Act to offer long-distance service. In New England, the company now offers long-distance service in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont and expects to file for FCC approval for New Hampshire by the end of this month. "Today's approval takes Maine to a new level of telecom competition," Dinan said. "The marketplace will heat up as competitors continue to hone their offerings to enter the local market, while Verizon begins to compete for long-distance customers. Consumers, of course, will be the big winners." Verizon Communications Inc.